This time of year I get to thinking about cold and flu season, so I have finally started a medicine stockpile. I have gotten some cold and flu medicine, Tylenol, and other medical type items. First aid items will be in my stockpile also. Just trying to think of everything. You never know when someone in your family might get sick and you want to have on hand what you need.
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Monday, November 8, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Upgrading My Bookshelf
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Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wood Burning Stove Or Pellet Stove?
The heating season is approaching quickly and it is high time to install that wood burning stove or pellet stove you have been thinking about. Which one will it be?
The first thing to check is the availability of pellets in your area. At this point in time, you might not be able to purchase pellets locally. And purchasing locally is important, since it means that there is a sustainable fuel supply in your area.
Contact the nearest store that sells pellet stoves and ask about a list of pellet suppliers. Theres should be at least two in your area. Ask about prices, availability and where they get their pellets from. You want to make sure that the pellets for your stove are from a local and sustainable source. As with anything, shop around and compare prices, proximity, and delivery guarantees.
What Are The Differences Between Wood And Pellet Stoves?
Pellet stoves burn more efficiently and cleanly than wood burning stoves.
All pellet stoves require an electrical connection, while only those wood burning stoves with blowers require an electrical connection.
Wood burning stoves require a functioning chimney or approved vent, whereas most pellet stoves require a conventional flue. Important: check your particular model and your localcodes!
Pellet stoves distribute the heat by blowing hot air into the space. These stoves do notget very hot to the touch. This can be a deciding factor if you have small children. Pellet stoves are quick to provide heat, and quick to cool down, once the fire is out.
Wood burning stoves radiate heat. Some models also have fans to blow hot air into the space. Wood burning stoves get very hot to the touch and keep radiating warmth, long after the fire has burnt down.
Wood pellet stoves require less attention than cord wood burning stoves:
Pellets are delivered in bags, or filled into a pellet bin in your basement. You will have to bring the bags into your house.
Pellets are fed into the stove via augers. You fill the pellet hopper, which is integrated into the top of the pellet stove, with approximately 40 lbs. of pellets.
You set the temperature dial at the stove to the desired temperature. The stove can be a self-igniting model or be started with a starting gel and match. The pellets will feed automatically as required to maintain the temperature.
A wood pellet stove can heat your home for up to 40 hours, without requiring any more of your attention
You refill the pellet chamber as needed
You empty the ash bin every few days
Wood burning stoves require a good amount of work:
Wood is "dumped" in front of your house and you will have to stack the wood, cover it and bring it into the house as required.
Kindling is required to start the stove. You can buy kindling, collect it in nearby woods or from a wood-processing manufacturer (such as flooring or furniture manufacturers) or chop it yourself.
You will have to build the fire and start it manually.
You control the temperature by adding more wood, opening and closing the air supply damper. Keeping in mind that the wood burning stove is slow-reacting.
Your wood burning stove will heat your home, unattended, for up to 12 hours, depending on stove size, wood being burnt, and setting of the air supply damper.
You will need to empty the ash bin daily.
Wood pellet stoves are considerably more costly than wood burning stoves. You can find a good wood burning stove for under $ 1,000, whereas a good, reliable pellet stove will cost over $2,000.
Cost for pellets and cost for cord wood depend to a large extent on the region you live in. In some regions pellets are more expensive, in other areas cord wood tops the list. Some areas have experienced pellet shortages, with the increase in popularity of pellet stoves.
Wood burning stoves are more messy than pellet stoves.
Your Personal Preferences
After reading the above comparison, your personal preferences will also help you decide.
How important is it to you to have the cleanest burning and most efficient stove?
How much work are you willing to do? Some people like stacking and chopping wood. Building a fire in the stove every morning can be a wonderful ritual to start the day.
How much money do you have a available and are willing to spend on a stove?
Do you prefer the radiant heat of the wood burning stove or the hot/warm air blowing from the pellet stove?
Would you like to cook a winter soup on the wood burning stove?
Other Deciding Factors
In addition to the personal preferences, the following factors must be considered:
Are you physically able and willing to do the work required for a wood burning stove?
Do you have the time required to tend to the stove?
How easily can you install electrical power for you pellet stove?
How easily can you add a chimney or vent stack?
Are power outages a real possibility in your area? Will you have a back-up generator for the pellet stove, or will you need the wood burning stove as a heat source?
Heating your home with wood, be it pellets or cut wood, requires considerably more work than simply flipping a switch on your oil or gas-fired furnace. The benefits though, in my opinion, outweigh the hard work and the sometimes messy living room. No matter which option you choose, you can heat your home with a sustainable fuel with either a wood burning stove or a pellet stove.
Christiane Perrin is a registered professional HVAC engineer with a passion for the environment. She is excited about the building industry going green and wants to support homeowners on their journey to building and remodeling green homes. http://www.greenandsustainablehomes.org
The first thing to check is the availability of pellets in your area. At this point in time, you might not be able to purchase pellets locally. And purchasing locally is important, since it means that there is a sustainable fuel supply in your area.
Contact the nearest store that sells pellet stoves and ask about a list of pellet suppliers. Theres should be at least two in your area. Ask about prices, availability and where they get their pellets from. You want to make sure that the pellets for your stove are from a local and sustainable source. As with anything, shop around and compare prices, proximity, and delivery guarantees.
What Are The Differences Between Wood And Pellet Stoves?
Pellet stoves burn more efficiently and cleanly than wood burning stoves.
All pellet stoves require an electrical connection, while only those wood burning stoves with blowers require an electrical connection.
Wood burning stoves require a functioning chimney or approved vent, whereas most pellet stoves require a conventional flue. Important: check your particular model and your localcodes!
Pellet stoves distribute the heat by blowing hot air into the space. These stoves do notget very hot to the touch. This can be a deciding factor if you have small children. Pellet stoves are quick to provide heat, and quick to cool down, once the fire is out.
Wood burning stoves radiate heat. Some models also have fans to blow hot air into the space. Wood burning stoves get very hot to the touch and keep radiating warmth, long after the fire has burnt down.
Wood pellet stoves require less attention than cord wood burning stoves:
Pellets are delivered in bags, or filled into a pellet bin in your basement. You will have to bring the bags into your house.
Pellets are fed into the stove via augers. You fill the pellet hopper, which is integrated into the top of the pellet stove, with approximately 40 lbs. of pellets.
You set the temperature dial at the stove to the desired temperature. The stove can be a self-igniting model or be started with a starting gel and match. The pellets will feed automatically as required to maintain the temperature.
A wood pellet stove can heat your home for up to 40 hours, without requiring any more of your attention
You refill the pellet chamber as needed
You empty the ash bin every few days
Wood burning stoves require a good amount of work:
Wood is "dumped" in front of your house and you will have to stack the wood, cover it and bring it into the house as required.
Kindling is required to start the stove. You can buy kindling, collect it in nearby woods or from a wood-processing manufacturer (such as flooring or furniture manufacturers) or chop it yourself.
You will have to build the fire and start it manually.
You control the temperature by adding more wood, opening and closing the air supply damper. Keeping in mind that the wood burning stove is slow-reacting.
Your wood burning stove will heat your home, unattended, for up to 12 hours, depending on stove size, wood being burnt, and setting of the air supply damper.
You will need to empty the ash bin daily.
Wood pellet stoves are considerably more costly than wood burning stoves. You can find a good wood burning stove for under $ 1,000, whereas a good, reliable pellet stove will cost over $2,000.
Cost for pellets and cost for cord wood depend to a large extent on the region you live in. In some regions pellets are more expensive, in other areas cord wood tops the list. Some areas have experienced pellet shortages, with the increase in popularity of pellet stoves.
Wood burning stoves are more messy than pellet stoves.
Your Personal Preferences
After reading the above comparison, your personal preferences will also help you decide.
How important is it to you to have the cleanest burning and most efficient stove?
How much work are you willing to do? Some people like stacking and chopping wood. Building a fire in the stove every morning can be a wonderful ritual to start the day.
How much money do you have a available and are willing to spend on a stove?
Do you prefer the radiant heat of the wood burning stove or the hot/warm air blowing from the pellet stove?
Would you like to cook a winter soup on the wood burning stove?
Other Deciding Factors
In addition to the personal preferences, the following factors must be considered:
Are you physically able and willing to do the work required for a wood burning stove?
Do you have the time required to tend to the stove?
How easily can you install electrical power for you pellet stove?
How easily can you add a chimney or vent stack?
Are power outages a real possibility in your area? Will you have a back-up generator for the pellet stove, or will you need the wood burning stove as a heat source?
Heating your home with wood, be it pellets or cut wood, requires considerably more work than simply flipping a switch on your oil or gas-fired furnace. The benefits though, in my opinion, outweigh the hard work and the sometimes messy living room. No matter which option you choose, you can heat your home with a sustainable fuel with either a wood burning stove or a pellet stove.
Christiane Perrin is a registered professional HVAC engineer with a passion for the environment. She is excited about the building industry going green and wants to support homeowners on their journey to building and remodeling green homes. http://www.greenandsustainablehomes.org
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Wood Burning Stoves - Not Just a Heat Source
There are many things to love about autumn. It could be the leaves, turning into glorious shades of red and gold or the fresh mushrooms picked from a field and eaten for breakfast still damp from the morning dew. It could be the horse chestnuts and the memories of conker battles in the playground. Or it could be the reassuring smell of burnt wood as the stove crackles in the corner.
A wood burning stove gives off a friendly orange glow which lights up the entire room. It feels warm and personal which is why animals love sitting in front of them, basking in the warmth. There are many different stoves available in the marketplace. From the traditional cast-iron wood burner to stylish contemporary designs there is an option for everyone. And where would we be without roasted chestnuts at Christmas? Roasting them over a fire gives them a delightfully piquant flavor, something you cannot replicate in the oven. Even roasting hazelnuts is much easier with a wood burning stove as long as you are careful and wrap them in foil first. Jacket potatoes in October with lashings of butter is another favorite, especially when straight from the fire.
Often the choice to get a wood burning stove lies in the availability of the fuel, the chimney arrangements of the house and the space to store the wood. It's worth noting that even if you live in an area where the smoke from fires is controlled by your local council or authority, there are certain types of wood burners that are exempt from the usual restrictions because they burn fuel very efficiently. So enquire at your local stove dealer who is best placed to advise you.
Sometimes wood can be sourced from local joiners or factories who would otherwise send it to landfill. Alternatively, you may ask a local landowner if there is any excess wood that you can cart away. Prices of wood may vary depending on where you live but managed carefully it can be a cheaper option than gas or oil. Most importantly, wood is an environmentally friendly fuel unlike coal or oil and can be sourced locally.
Whilst it is easy to buy split logs, there is a lot of fun to be had splitting your own logs. The exercise is great and it's a simple but surprisingly satisfying way to spend an hour - especially when something is on your mind.
A wood burning stove is so much more than a heat source. It's a memory, a style and, for so many, something they wouldn't change for the world.
Notes for editors: Claire recommends Wood Burn Stoves who offer
Wood Stoves
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A wood burning stove gives off a friendly orange glow which lights up the entire room. It feels warm and personal which is why animals love sitting in front of them, basking in the warmth. There are many different stoves available in the marketplace. From the traditional cast-iron wood burner to stylish contemporary designs there is an option for everyone. And where would we be without roasted chestnuts at Christmas? Roasting them over a fire gives them a delightfully piquant flavor, something you cannot replicate in the oven. Even roasting hazelnuts is much easier with a wood burning stove as long as you are careful and wrap them in foil first. Jacket potatoes in October with lashings of butter is another favorite, especially when straight from the fire.
Often the choice to get a wood burning stove lies in the availability of the fuel, the chimney arrangements of the house and the space to store the wood. It's worth noting that even if you live in an area where the smoke from fires is controlled by your local council or authority, there are certain types of wood burners that are exempt from the usual restrictions because they burn fuel very efficiently. So enquire at your local stove dealer who is best placed to advise you.
Sometimes wood can be sourced from local joiners or factories who would otherwise send it to landfill. Alternatively, you may ask a local landowner if there is any excess wood that you can cart away. Prices of wood may vary depending on where you live but managed carefully it can be a cheaper option than gas or oil. Most importantly, wood is an environmentally friendly fuel unlike coal or oil and can be sourced locally.
Whilst it is easy to buy split logs, there is a lot of fun to be had splitting your own logs. The exercise is great and it's a simple but surprisingly satisfying way to spend an hour - especially when something is on your mind.
A wood burning stove is so much more than a heat source. It's a memory, a style and, for so many, something they wouldn't change for the world.
Notes for editors: Claire recommends Wood Burn Stoves who offer
Wood Stoves
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Monday, October 25, 2010
Free Camping & Dutch Oven Recipes
We are all going to have to cook by campfire or by using a Dutch Oven sometime. I found a ton of recipes online for this. Great ideas, tips, and recipes for campfire cooking. There are a ton of free recipes online. Print them off and start cooking!!
FREE CAMPING RECIPES
FREE DUTCH OVEN RECIPES
FREE CAMPING RECIPES
FREE DUTCH OVEN RECIPES
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